Page 4 of Blame it on the Kiss
“Am I right?”
She cleared her throat and told her body to ignore any more tingles, quivers, flutters, shivers, trembles, prickles, or shudders he might instigate. He belonged to her best friend, even if she wasn’t here to claim him. “Yes, it’s a kissing game. Butthe rulessay one minute.”
“So you planned to kiss the guy that found you in here?”
“Yes.”
“On the mouth?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes. But no tongue.”
The small space between them dissolved as he canted his head down to talk in her ear. “I think it’s our obligation to play, Honor. It’s just a game, so can I kiss you?”
YES!Her traitorous body shouted as his husky voice made her toes curl. Then, like he had some magic mojo, she put her arms around his neck. Her hands should not have been anywhere but at her sides, dammit. She reasoned the dark had something to do with it. Because she couldn’t really see him, she could pretend he was Theo James and this was her sixty seconds of pretend boyfriend kissing.
“We shouldn’t.”
“I know.”
Maybe it was his agreement. Maybe it was her earlier desire to break her dry spell, to not leave the closet until she’d gotten a kiss. Whatever it was, she found herself pushing aside her guilt and wanting to finish the game she’d agreed to play.
“Okay,” she said.
“You sure?”
God, did he have to be so careful with her? She touched her nose to his. “Yes.”
“Plan on one minute in heaven, Honor.” A split second later his lips were on hers.
Her eyes fluttered shut and the only man she pictured as his mouth moved against hers with a feather-light touch was Bryce Bishop. His sexy smile and gorgeous, milk chocolate latte eyes had been burned into the back of her eyelids since the second they’d met.
And as she feared, their mouths were a seamless, perfect fit. He kissed her with super soft, slow, confident brushes of his sensuous lips, his jaw relaxed. No guy had ever started a kiss like this. With thoughtful determination and just the right amount of pressure. All those uptight cells of hers went languid. Her fingers played with the soft hair at the back of his neck.
He cupped her cheeks in his warm hands, and his tender onslaught felt so good she never wanted it to end. His lips were like sugar and honey, and tasted a million times better than she’d imagined over the past several months. He moved his mouth against hers with confidence. Skill.
She almost took his hands and moved them to her hips so she could press her body against his. Kissing him put her hormones into overdrive andshe needed more. Much more. This gentle, closed mouth technique of his had it going on, and she craved an openmouthed kiss more than she did her next breath.
A tiny purr escaped her lips. She couldn’t help it. The corners of his mouth lifted in return and he eased off just a bit. She grabbed him by the back of the shirt to make sure he stayed put.
That night in his hotel room, his kisses to her neck and shoulder, the inside of her palm and wrist, had been incredible and dreamy, but this kiss?
With each soft caress he seemed to take as much pleasure from it as she did, and knowing she affected him put this unplanned lip lock into a stratosphere all by itself.
She slipped the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip, ready to move to the next level, but he pulled back. The sudden loss was like having a cold bucket of water dumped over her head.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“Nothing. Just sticking to the rules.”
Thank goodness one of them had a conscience at the moment. His lips had turned her into an unthinking body where her edges softened and her insides melted.
“Friends?” he asked.
“Friends,” she half lied. She’d do whatever necessary for the wedding, but nothing more. The horror at what she’d just done set in. She’d been able to forgive herself for her past indiscretion because she hadn’t known who Bryce was. But tonight she’d knowingly kissed him. She blinked back the regretful tears threatening to expose her. He belonged to Payton, and always would. He’d been the last good thing in her best friend’s life, and Honor wouldn’t sully or poach on that.
Three more days. That’s all she had to get through and then she’d be free and clear of Bryce Bishop.
…
